Brandi Mendenhall’s Forbidden Runes follows Anna, a girl stolen from her royal past and raised in hiding, who grows into a bold young woman using forbidden rune magic to save others while unknowingly stepping straight back into the path of the man she once loved and now fears. The story blends court intrigue, dangerous magic, childhood bonds, betrayal, and simmering romance. It begins with tragic loss, grows into a tale of resilience, and lands squarely in the middle of a kingdom at war with itself.

I found myself pulled into the writing right away. The pacing swings fast, then slows without warning, and I actually liked that. It made me feel a little off balance in the same way Anna is always off balance. The scenes are vivid and sometimes wild, full of strong emotion and desperate choices, and the style leans into the drama with gusto. The author writes with heart. Sometimes the prose gets indulgent or leans heavily on descriptive beats, but the feelings behind it are real, and that kept me turning the pages. I cared about Anna. I cared about the danger. I cared about the mess her memories kept making for her.

The way the story looks at power and who gets to hold it felt clever and surprisingly raw. I loved the tension between personal freedom and the weight of duty. I loved how the book toys with the idea that love can both steady a person and ruin them. Ben and Anna’s connection made me want to root for them. Their chemistry is thick, and their misunderstandings made me want to yell at them. The magic system is fun and spooky and sometimes a little chaotic, and I enjoyed that too. It feels dangerous. It feels alive. It feels like something that can save a life or tear one apart.

By the end, I felt satisfied and also itching for the next book. Forbidden Runes reminded me of Throne of Glass mixed with a touch of Shadow and Bone, only sharper in emotion and bolder in its magic. If you like fast emotional swings, big romantic tension, magic that bites, royalty behaving badly, and heroines who dig deep even when the world is stacked against them, this one will hit the spot.

Pages: 214 | ASIN : B0BBH2GSD1